A Chino Christmas
by melanie39
Summary: Written for the Chrismukkah fic challenge at Live Journal. Seth accompanies Ryan to Chino to visit Theresa and spread some Chrismukkah cheer. Things don't go quite according to plan.


Merry Chrismukkah

(The afternoon of December 23rd 2004…)

Seth lay spread-eagled across Ryan's bed, awash with Christmas wrapping paper. He had the tape held precariously in his mouth, as he struggled with a particularly awkward shaped gift for his mother, when Ryan walked in.

Ryan's irritation was clear on his face.

"Seth, what are doing in my room?"

"Wrapping gifts, dude, what does it look like?"

"What's the matter with your own room?"

"Ryan, have you _seen_ how many gifts I have to wrap? Remember, Chrismukkah is a festival of eight days of presents followed by one day of _many_ presents. There's no way my room is large enough to cope."

Ryan scowled as he marched over to the kitchen area and deposited a bag on the side.

Seth looked up, his eyebrows raised in interest.

"Hey Ryan, don't tell me you've been shopping. Is that _my_ Chrismukkah gift in there?" He looked over expectantly.

Ryan gave him the look.

"Seth, it's a bag from Bath and Bodyworks. Is that _really_ where you want me to buy your gift from?"

"So you're _getting_ me a gift?" Seth jumped off the bed like an excited puppy. Ryan scowled again.

"Not if you keep gate crashing my room I won't."

Seth decided it was time to change the subject.

"So, who's the lucky lady? Lindsay…. Marissa…. my Mom?"

"Actually it's for Theresa. I thought I should really go see her, wish her Happy Chrismukkah and all…" he looked over doubtfully at Seth.

Seth's mood changed abruptly as he realized the significance of what Ryan was saying. He knew that had Theresa not miscarried, the baby would have been due at about this time.

"That sounds like a nice idea… " nodding his dark curly head encouragingly and then, because sensitivity had never been his strong point, he added "Hey, if you're going to Chino, I could come too, introduce Theresa to the spirit of Chrismukkah…."

"No", Ryan's answer was emphatic.

"Oh come on Dude," Seth whined, " I've never been to Chino. Marissa's been to Chino. My Dad's been to Chino. Hell, even Luke's been to Chino…."

"No! Absolutely not."

"Dude, Chrismukkah is my _thing_, I have to come. It's just not right if I don't. It's like Batman without Robin, peanut butter without jelly, a fish without scales…"

Seth was now babbling _and _whining, his hands waving in the air in desperation.

Ryan stood glaring at him.

"Could I please have my room back now?"

Seth gathered up his wrapping paraphernalia and gifts and left the pool house muttering something about grinches under his breath.

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Christmas Eve morning….

Ryan and Seth sat at the table eating handfuls of Kaptain Krunch straight from the box.

Kirsten swept in, her arms full of last minute decorations for the dining room.

"I wish you boys would use bowls" she commented absentmindedly.

Ryan looked sheepishly at her and fetched himself a bowl. Seth carried on munching from the box.

"Um, Kirsten?"

"Yeah Ryan, you want something?" Kirsten looked up at him briefly, still preoccupied with her trimmings.

"Yeah…. I wondered if I could borrow the Rover this morning?"

"Um, I think that'll be OK. I don't need it for anything. Where is it you have to go?"

"I thought I'd go and see Theresa, you know, see how she's doing…", he looked nervously at Kirsten under his bangs.

She smiled sympathetically at him, her face softening.

"That's a lovely idea Ryan, I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you. It'll be a hard time for her I know."

She kissed him lightly on the forehead.

"Just make sure you take Seth's cell phone OK? The traffic'll be really bad today."

"Yeah OK, thanks…"

Ryan finished up his breakfast and headed off to the pool house to collect Theresa's gift. It was only something small, some toiletries that Ryan knew she was particularly fond of. As he left, he yelled for Seth. He'd promised Kirsten he'd take Seth's cell phone. Getting no reply, Ryan shrugged and abandoned the idea. He walked out to the driveway and pressed the alarm button on the key fob.

As he slid into the driver's seat, he was greeted by Seth, sitting patiently in the passenger seat.

Ryan gave Seth a sideways look.

"What are you doing here?"

"Coming to Chino to spread some Chrismukkah cheer." He waved a bouquet of flowers under Ryan's nose.

"You know what, you become more like Marissa every day."

Ryan sighed heavily and strapped his seatbelt on. He couldn't be bothered to argue with Seth. At least this way he'd have kept his promise to Kirsten and have Seth's phone.

"OK, you can come but _I_ choose the music."

Seth rolled his eyes.

"Oh Lord, two hours of non stop Journey"

"You don't have to come…." Ryan answered hopefully.

Seth scowled and buckled up.

An hour later, they were driving through the streets of Chino, Seth looking out of the window like an excited child. Ryan kept glancing across at him out of the corner of his eye. Only Seth could make a visit to Chino seem like a visit to a theme park.

He pulled in just opposite Theresa's house and they both jumped out. Ryan reached into the back to retrieve Theresa's gift. Now he was here, he was suddenly filled with anxiety. He hadn't seen or spoken to Theresa in nearly four months. He wasn't at all sure what kind of reception he was about to get. He cursed himself for not making more of an effort in the summer. It had been all too easy for him to slip back into his Newport life and forget that she had lost a baby. A great support _he'd _been.

Ryan knocked loudly on the screen door and the two boys waited silently on the doorstep. Seth was beginning to wish he had thought this through some more. Things between Theresa and Ryan could be a little awkward he was beginning to realize. He'd been too excited at the prospect of seeing Chino to consider the actual meeting between Ryan and Theresa.

The screen door opened with a creak and there stood Theresa, beautiful as ever. She stared at them unbelieving, her face pale with shock.

"Hey Theresa, Merry Chrismukkah!" began Seth enthusiastically, holding out a large bouquet of Christmas roses from his mother. Theresa reached forward automatically to take them.

Two pairs of eyes slid down from Theresa's shocked face to her swollen belly.

"Merry Chrismu –what-the-fuck-ah……." Seth's voice trailed away in shock.

Seth stole a look at Ryan.

Ryan stood immobilized, mouth open.

"Ryan, I…." began Theresa

Ryan looked up at her, his blue eyes dark and flashing with anger.

"You lied to me…" his voice was choking.

"I, I'm sorry Ryan. I…I married Eddie" she added desperately.

Ryan swallowed deeply and regarded her coldly.

"I can't believe you above all people would lie to me…"

With that, he turned on his heels and marched back to the Rover, slamming the door and shifting it into gear aggressively. Seth and Theresa watched as the car screeched down the road and disappeared from sight.

Seth looked down at the doorstep, his hands dug deep into his pockets.

"You'd better come in Seth, who knows when he'll be back…"

Seth looked up at Theresa apologetically and followed her inside.

"I'd better put these in some water, they're beautiful, thank you"

Seth could see her fingers shaking as she fought to untie the bouquet of flowers.

"Are you OK?" Seth asked awkwardly.

She looked up at him, her lips trembling, her eyes wet with tears.

She swallowed painfully.

"I always knew this could happen. It was a risk I had to take."

"Why?" Seth was confused.

"Because he _hated_ it here. It was like living with a stranger. He was so unhappy. I just couldn't do it to him anymore…"

Seth looked uncomfortably at her. Her pain had been his gain. He felt selfish.

"Should I maybe call Eddie?" he ventured.

She snickered and sat down at the table.

"I didn't marry Eddie," she replied as she shook her head, "that was just the first thing I thought to say. I don't want Ryan here. If he believes I'm married to Eddie, he'll stay away."

"So. …you're lying to him again…" Seth responded.

Theresa looked up at him angrily, her black eyes flashing.

"What was I _supposed_ to do?"

Seth shrugged his shoulders in defeat. He didn't know either.

"Can I get you some tea?" Theresa asked, after a few minutes. Seth looked up at her. The poor girl looked exhausted.

"No, look, I'll make you some…you should um, probably rest" Seth knew very little about pregnant women but he was sure the shock of seeing Ryan could not be good for either her or the baby. He wondered idly where Theresa's Mom was.

Theresa waddled heavily to the couch and sank down. She arranged her swollen feet on a nearby footstall.

"My Mom won't be back till late. She took the bus to visit my brother in jail. She can't get there on Christmas Day, with there being no buses and all."

Seth nodded as he prepared the tea. He wondered how long it would be before Ryan returned. When Ryan needed to brood, there was never any telling how long it would last. He should really call his mother and warn her they may be _very_ late back. The thought was pushed from his mind as he glanced up at Teresa to find her wincing and gripping the side of the couch.

"Are you OK?" he ventured.

"I'm not so sure. I've had indigestion all morning but now... that felt like something else." Theresa looked over at Seth for reassurance.

"Oh…like something else.... what, like the baby coming, ha ha ha" Seth joked with a fixed smile on his face, hoping to God that he was wrong but Teresa nodded and his heart sank. Immediately he was floundering. It was like the whole fish sex scenario all over again. He was totally out of his depth.

Theresa let out a whimper.

"Holy Jesus and Moses " Seth muttered under his breath.

Theresa remained calm and began talking practicalities.

"Seth, I'll probably need to get to the hospital at some point, there's no hurry, but with my Mom gone, I'd really like it if you could try and track down Ryan…"

"Track down Ryan…. yeah, right. Umm, just a couple of problems right there. I have the only cell phone, he has the car and I don't know Chino _at all_." His head bobbed about as his sense of panic deepened. He could see it now, he would be the one boiling water, ripping up towels and delivering Theresa's baby on the kitchen floor. Whilst he really loved his comic books, at this point, he was not at all eager to step into Superman's shoes.

Seth thought quickly about his predicament and decided that if in doubt, call The Kirsten.

He drew out his phone from his back pocket and flipped it open. He prayed his mother would be there and not have gone gallivanting off for that last Christmas present she felt his father must have.

"Mom?"

"Seth Ezekiel. Where the hell are you? You were supposed to be helping me in the kitchen this morning."

"Oh God Mom, yeah….I'm in Chino. Just _don't_ touch anything until I get back OK? But here's the thing Mom. I'm here at Theresa's and…." Seth lowered his voice before continuing, "she's kind of…well I think she's gone into labor"

There was silence at the other end of the phone as Kirsten processed this information.

"Theresa's pregnant again?" Kirsten sounded completely disorientated.

"Actually Mom, I don't think there was a point when she wasn't"

Kirsten suddenly grasped what Seth was really saying.

"Oh my God, where's Ryan? Where's her mother?"

"Her Mom's visiting her brother _in jail_ and Ryan split as soon as he saw her."

"Figures…" murmured Kirsten in response.

"OK Seth, we're coming right over. Wait there with Theresa and we'll be there as soon as we can. And don't panic. First babies are never in a hurry."

"OK Mom. Just get here as quick as you can."

Seth put away his phone and turned to Theresa who had been calmly finishing getting a bag together to take to the hospital.

"Mom and Dad are on their way. I'll stay here with you until they arrive and then I'm sure my Dad will go look for Ryan."

Theresa nodded at Seth and smiled a tight anxious smile. She wasn't sure who out of the two of them was more nervous.

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Sandy dropped Kirsten off outside the house.

"Good luck" he said as he kissed her goodbye.

"You too," she answered as she slid out of her seat, "call me when you find him."

Sandy nodded and drove off quickly.

He cruised through the unfamiliar streets of Chino, searching for any sign of Ryan. Despite the shabby housing, Chino looked extremely festive. Most of the houses had twinkling colored lights in the windows or plastic Santa Clauses on sleighs, pulled by imitation reindeer in the front yards. One house had even created a complete North Pole scene replete with inflatable polar bears and penguins. Kids were out in the street playing ball, killing time before the big day.

Eventually Sandy spotted the 'rover parked by a deserted children's playground. There sat a miserable boy, his back turned to Sandy, hunched up on a kid's swing, dragging on a cigarette. Sandy's heart lurched for him. He parked the car and sat watching the lonely figure for a few seconds. What could he possibly say to him that would make things right? All his life people had lied to him, let him down, abandoned him. Sandy knew he'd trusted Theresa in a way he'd not trusted others in his life in Chino, this girl who had always been there for him growing up, his first love, his friend. Now _she'd_ lied to him too and Sandy knew the hurt would run deep.

He stepped out of the car and slammed the door. He didn't want to startle him. Ryan looked over his shoulder at the sound. Quickly he dropped the cigarette out of his mouth and scuffed the end on the ground. Sandy smiled to himself. Even in this state, Ryan didn't want to disappoint his guardian. He lifted his hand up in a small wave.

"Hey kid. I heard what happened."

Ryan looked down at the ground, chewing his lip.

"Why'd she lie?" was all he said.

Sandy shook his head and took a deep breath. He put a reassuring hand on Ryan's back.

"I don't know Ryan. Really I don't know. But right now, I need you to take a deep breath and get back in the car with me. I think you may be about to become a father."

Ryan looked up at Sandy, suddenly fully responsive and alert.

"She's…?"

"Yes, now come on."

They hurried to the BMW.

"What about the 'rover?" questioned Ryan.

"Leave it, we'll collect it later."

Ryan looked doubtfully at Sandy, knowing an unattended expensive car in this sort of neighborhood didn't stand a chance.

"The car's not important Ryan. Besides I don't want you driving while you're upset like this…"

Ryan nodded and got in the passenger seat.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, except for the odd direction Ryan gave Sandy.

Just as they headed into Theresa's street, Ryan touched Sandy on the arm.

"What about Eddie?"

Sandy was confused.

"_What_ about Eddie?"

"Seth didn't tell you? Theresa told me they were married."

"Well I don't know anything about that. All I know is Seth called us told us Theresa was in labor and was asking for you, you had run off and her Mom was visiting her son in jail. There was no mention of Eddie."

"Oh."

Ryan shrugged and got out of the car. He guessed he could deal with Eddie later. Now he knew he needed to be there for Theresa. He ran up the steps to the porch and took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

Sandy ran up to the porch after him. It was him who noticed the note tucked into the plant pot. He opened it quickly and scanned the message.

"Come on, they've already left for the hospital, a neighbor's taken them, seems the baby is in more of a hurry than we thought…."

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Seth sat outside the delivery room reading a comic book he'd picked up in the hospital store. Kirsten had been with Theresa since they arrived. He gathered from the amount of comings and goings in and out of the room, that the baby's arrival was not far off. He was trying to keep a low profile seeing as several of the nurses had given him unpleasant looks as they came bustling in and out of the room. After a while he'd figured out why. They thought _he_ was the Daddy. And worse, they obviously thought he was too squeamish to do the right thing and see his girlfriend through the situation he'd put her into. Seth felt more than a little disgruntled. Although it _was_ pretty cool that they must think him attractive enough to have hooked a hotty like Theresa.

Seth put the comic book up to his face as the door opened once again.

"Seth? Any sign of Ryan or your father?" Kirsten spoke urgently.

"Um, no Mom. How's Theresa doing?"

"She's doing OK. But I know she really wants Ryan and this baby seems to be in a mighty hurry. I do hope your Dad managed to track him down."

Kirsten looked up and down the corridor anxiously.

"Mom, I swear, as soon as they get here, I'll send Ryan in. And Mom…?" Seth's voice dropped slightly as he moved forwards to whisper into his mother's ear, "Do you think you could let the nurses know I'm _not _the Daddy? I'm getting a very unpleasant vibe from them."

Kirsten smirked and tapped Seth's shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm sure they don't think that Seth."

Seth wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or insulted.

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Ryan felt sick as he and Sandy raced at break neck speed to the hospital. He wasn't ready to be a father. He wasn't prepared. He _had_ been ready, back in the summer until he thought she'd lost the baby. But since then, he'd tried to live the life of a normal teenager. What was he going to tell Lindsay? Dear sweet innocent Lindsay, who had agreed to date him despite knowing everything about him. He loved their relationship. It was so…uncomplicated. He couldn't see her sticking around once she found out he was a teenage Dad.

They pulled into the hospital parking lot and quickly made their way to the hospital reception area.

"We're here to see Theresa Martinez? She's about to have a baby." Sandy told the assistant at the desk. The assistant didn't even bother to look up.

"Second floor" she indicated wearily with her hand.

Ryan and Sandy rushed to the elevator and waited impatiently for it to arrive.

Seth could hear Theresa's yells through the flimsy walls of the delivery room. He was suddenly very grateful that he had been born male. Just as he was about to move away from the general "giving birth and all that entails" area, his father and Ryan came bursting out of the elevator. Ryan rushed up to him.

"Where is she?" he gasped.

Seth indicated the closed door.

Ryan looked across at the door and swallowed nervously. Seth had never seen him so pale.

"Is…is Eddie with her? Did you call him already?"

Seth shook his head and put his arm round his friend.

"There is no Eddie, buddy. They didn't get married. She just told you that to get you

to…."

Suddenly a blood-curdling yell, followed by some picturesque Spanish, filled the air. Ryan and Seth looked at each other.

"At this point, probably a good thing you don't speak much Spanish!" Seth quipped.

Sandy slapped Ryan on the back

"Wait here kid while I try and find out what's going on…"

"I don't think there's much doubt what's going on Dad" Seth joked.

"Seth!" Sandy and Ryan spoke in unison.

Seth looked down sheepishly and sat down.

Just as Sandy went off in search of an orderly, a baby's cry let rip through the walls of Theresa's room. Ryan swallowed thickly and stared at the door. He wasn't sure if he dared go in.

"Seth, do you think I should…you know….go in?" Ryan looked anxiously at Seth. Never had he felt so out of his depth.

"Yeah, yeah you really should, 'cos at this point, the nurses all think _I'm_ the Daddy…"

Ryan scowled at Seth. Only _he_ could be so self absorbed.

Ryan moved forward and put his hand hesitantly on the door to knock. Just at that point, the door flew open and Kirsten came out, clad from head to foot in green scrubs, beaming.

She took Ryan's hand and looked up at him, her eyes steady.

"Thank God Ryan. You're here. Come on. Theresa would like to introduce you to your daughter…"

"Daughter?" Ryan repeated, dazed.

He allowed Kirsten to push him into the room without protest and she shut the door quietly behind him.

Seth and Sandy gave each other a sideways glance and then looked at Kirsten questioningly.

"Daughter?" Sandy enquired, his eyebrows raised in amazement.

"Beautiful, _blonde_, baby girl. I don't think there's much doubt."

She shook her head as she spoke and her face broke into a gentle smile.

"Lets leave them to it for a while OK guys?"

She linked arms with her husband and her son.

As they walked down the corridor together, Seth could be heard muttering and shaking his head in disbelief.

"Wow, I didn't expect a …baby for Christmas."

Fin


End file.
